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of the Republic of Armenia
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Statement on Serious Violation of Cease-Fire
on the Karabakh Frontline

Early this morning, there was a serious violation of the ceasefire regime
by Azerbaijan in the northeastern border area of Martakert region, in
northern Nagorno Karabakh. This differs from previous breaches of the
ceasefire that we have experienced during all these years. It differed in
terms of the type of ammunition and armaments used. This was clearly a
larger scale operation and more intensive. There are casualties. As of this
moment, there is one injured from the Armenian side, and as the Azerbaijani
press reported, two deaths from their side, and injuries too. These we can
obviously not confirm.

The Armenian side lost certain territory as a result of Azerbaijan’s
attacks. The international mediators are informed about this, and the
co-chairs are already involved. Ambassador Andrej Kasprcyk, the Personal
Representative of the OSCE Chairman in Office, and Matt Bryza, the US
Assistant Undersecretary of State, are in Baku, trying to mediate the
re-establishment of the ceasefire. This process encountered certain
complications. While the Azerbaijanis were willing to re-establish the
ceasefire regime, they were unwilling to return the territory they had
advanced into. Although that territory has been recovered as a result of
fighting, the fighting itself has not ceased. The ceasefire has not been
reinstituted.

We condemn this encroachment at this critical stage. This cease-fire which
has been maintained since 1994, is the longest lasting self-maintained
ceasefire in the world. Azerbaijan’s clear efforts to breach this ceasefire
present a clear danger.

Together with the draft resolution that is being circulated in the UN
General Assembly, these efforts to circumvent the negotiations process
through both political and military escapades threaten peace in the region.